Cycling the Strawberry Line, North Somerset

The Strawberry Line, is an old railway line in Somerset that has been regenerated into a shared pedestrian and cycle path. The route is a few miles long and runs North to South to the east of Weston-Super-mare in North Somerset. The entire scope of the line is in varying degrees of accessibility, ranging from fully operational to route planning. I cycled part of the route from Cheddar to Yatton, with part of the cycle path taking you through the orchards of the Thatcher's Cider farm. The route leaves the orchards behind and turns left onto Nye Road for a short stretch before turning right and back onto the old railway line, heading to Congresbury.

The surface of the line is small pee-size shingle gravel ontop of a larger aggregate. Generally the path is worn to almost powder on the outsides of the path, where cyclist ride up and down. The centre has more of a build up of pee-shingle gravel. The path is about 8 feet wide and popular with walkers and cyclists alike. Cyclists are asked to slow down and sound a bell when passing pedestrians, including errant children and loose dogs. The strawberry line is passable on a road bike with little trouble, obviously the surface is flat, with little pot holes. I was able to cruise at 17mph on 23mm tires no problem. If your tires are susceptible to punctures you may wish to think twice and there is a perfectly good alternative route on Nye Road which turns into Puxton Lane. I would say the path is passable in all weathers including wet conditions, although clay mud will get flung up onto your bike, in anything but dry conditions.

For more information check out the website or just Get on Your Bike.

http://www.thestrawberryline.co.uk/